The second of four teachers’ strikes in the Eastern region is taking place today (Wednesday, March 1). 

The four strike days were announced by the National Education Union (NEU) in a dispute over teachers’ pay and the underfunding of education. 

The first strike took place on February 1 and further strikes are due to take place on March 15 and 16 across the whole of England and Wales. 

Today’s strike will affect the Eastern region, East Midlands, and West Midlands only. 

The Department for Education (DfE) has said it expects headteachers to take all reasonable steps to keep schools open for as many pupils as possible. 

The decision to open, restrict attendance, or close a maintained school is for the headteacher, while the decision for academies rests with the relevant academy trust but is usually taken by the principal. 

Director of Education for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Jonathan Lewis, said: “Schools anticipate significant disruption. Even schools which are fully open will see some disruption to the curriculum. 

“We will be collating information on which schools are closed or partially closed and updating our website regularly.” 

He added: “Headteachers have written to parents to allow them to make decisions. In the case of full closure, schools are encouraged to support vulnerable children and critical worker children, although capacity is likely to be limited.” 

Advice from the DfE is that there is no legal requirement for schools to teach the curriculum on strike days and the offer around schools is likely to be limited. 

At the last strike on February 1, 145 schools in Cambridgeshire (54 per cent) remained open, with 85 schools (32 per cent) partially open and 10 schools (4 per cent) closed. 

Others were open for vulnerable or critical worker children only. 

To find out more about which schools are open, partially open, or closed, visit: School closures - Cambridgeshire County Council